Greek journalists are making headlines of their own as they embark on a 24-hour strike to voice their grievances against the media industry’s employers. The strike, scheduled from 5 a.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday, targets a range of media platforms including news sites, TV channels, radio, and even the state-run broadcaster ERT.
In a statement dripping with disdain for their employers, the Greek Federation of Journalists (POESY) and the Journalists’ Union of Athens Newspapers (ESIEA), along with other press unions, lambasted the refusal to sign collective labor agreements (CLAs). They bemoaned the dire consequences of this refusal, lamenting “meager wages” that fail to meet basic needs.
“The employers’ refusal to sign CLAs has led employees to be paid meager wages, which are not sufficient to cover their basic family and personal needs,” the unions declared in a joint proclamation, dripping with the drama of a front-page scandal.
But it’s not just about the dismal pay. Journalists are also waving their pens in protest against the broader erosion of journalistic integrity and the mounting pressures squeezing the life out of reliable and free information.
Their strike adds a chaotic crescendo to the symphony of discontent brewing across various sectors. The media meltdown precedes a broader general walkout orchestrated by the private sector workers’ union GSEE. With grievances ranging from soaring living costs to the absence of CLAs and the desperate need to shield incomes from the ravages of inflation, the April 17 strike promises to grind public transport and ferry services to a screeching halt.
As journalists picket and workers rally, Greece finds itself at the crossroads of a cacophony of dissent, each voice clamoring for its own slice of justice in the turbulent theater of labor strife.
